In context
In mid-2024, industrial automation was increasingly shifting toward software-defined robotics, with a focus on flexible, collision-free motion planning and digital twin simulation to optimize manufacturing efficiency. This investment underscored the growing strategic importance of such software in the automation ecosystem.
What was reported
Realtime Robotics, a provider of collision-free autonomous motion planning software for industrial robots, secured a strategic investment from Mitsubishi Electric as the lead in its Series B round. Mitsubishi Electric, a prior Series A participant, will add a senior representative to Realtime's board of directors.
The funds aim to refine and scale Realtime's robot workcell optimization and runtime solutions. The technology rapidly generates and evaluates hundreds of thousands of possible solutions during design to identify the shortest cycle time, and runtime control enables multiple robots to work closer together while reacting to dynamic changes. Retooling is simplified with reprogramming for optimal cycle time from the first iteration.
Customers including BMW, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Valiant TMS, and Schaeffler Group report improved cycle times, reduced downtime, and increased throughput. Mitsubishi Electric plans to integrate Realtime's motion planning into 3D simulators and other software for digital twin optimization, and later into FA control devices such as PLCs, servo motors, and CNCs.
“For years, industrial robot programming has remained a rigid, costly and labor-intensive process.”
Why it mattered
This investment signaled a shift toward embedding advanced motion planning into mainstream automation hardware and software, potentially making collision-free, adaptive robot control more accessible across manufacturing, reducing programming complexity and enabling tighter human-robot collaboration.
Source: Robotics & Automation News (roboticsandautomationnews.com) · Published 2024-05-29 · “Mitsubishi Electric leads Series B investment in Realtime Robotics”